On Saturday, Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) moved two military columns carrying a big numbers of Syrian mercenaries towards the city of Sirte.
According to Reuters, a column of 200 vehicles moved eastwards from Misrata along the Mediterranean coast town of Tawergha, about a third of the way to Sirte, a gateway to Libya’s main oil terminals that the GNA says it plans to recapture from the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA).
Notably, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had vowed to continue military operations until full control over Sirte and al-Jufra cities was reached, in order to seize the Oil Crescent area, and disregarding calls by the international community for a ceasefire and the completion of political dialogue.
On the other hand, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi called on the Libyan parties to engage in a political dialogue, threatening to intervene militarily in Libya in case of GNA militias’ violation of the red lines set by Egypt.
Turkey has intervened decisively in recent weeks in Libya, providing air support, weapons and allied fighters from Syria to help the GNA to repel a year-long war launched by the LNA commander Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
Libya has been mired in chaos since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising which led to the overthrow of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi.
Meanwhile, leaders of France, Italy and Germany said in a joint statement on Saturday that they were “ready to consider” sanctions on foreign powers violating an arms embargo in Libya.